Perfectly Matched (The Blue Willow Brides Book #3): A Novel

by Brendan, Maggie

  “Why are you locking up so early, Edward?” Anna asked.

  Edward waltzed over and took her arm. “I decided to close at one on Saturday from now on. I want to spend time with my beautiful wife. Though I might work later hours right before Christmas.”

  Anna stared at him in surprise. “That’s wonderful, Edward. So how are we going to spend the afternoon? I was thinking of going to the park and paint—”

  “Nope! Not today—maybe Sunday afternoon.” He guided her to the hallway. “We’re going into town and I’ll explain on the way. I’ll go hitch up Cloud while you gather our coats.”

  “Ooh, I love surprises!”

  “Then scoot,” he said, giving her backside an affectionate slap.

  “You’ll pay for that later,” she teased with a twinkle in her blue eyes.

  “I sure hope so.” He laughed. He watched her hurry off, then raced to the barn in the bright sunshine and declared to the dogs, “It’s a gorgeous day, don’t you think?”

  Moose raised his head from where it rested on his outstretched paws, then promptly settled back down and closed his eyes. Baby barked a happy greeting, following Edward around inside the barn. Edward couldn’t help but admit that he was growing fond of the dogs—all because of Anna.

  Fall had crept quietly into Denver this week. Leaves were beginning their gradual change to red, gold, and orange. The brief snow earlier was a thing of the past today as Edward guided Cloud down Main Street to the bank. He told Anna about the new part-time job.

  “That’s quite an honor that they trust you enough to monitor the combination for the vault.” She snuggled close to his side, and he loved the feel of his leg touching hers. She looped her arm through the crook of his as he held the reins.

  “I admit it was a surprise, but I’ll find this an interesting side to my normal work. I’m going to drop you off at the Denver Dry Goods, then join you later, if that’s okay. You can look around for some new dresses. I’ll meet you when I’m through, and we can go up to the fifth floor for a late lunch, then finish shopping. Sound like fun?”

  “Ja! But I really don’t have to have new dresses.”

  “But I say you do. You’ve been working hard to please me—now let me have the privilege of pleasing you!”

  She smiled up at him while he maneuvered the wagon between the throng of horses, carriages, and pedestrians as well as the streetcar. “You’d better watch out or you’ll spoil me rotten.”

  He looked sideways at her. “It might become my favorite pastime, you know.”

  “Not to change the subject, but I want to have a dinner party. We can ask all our friends and your sister and her husband, even Patty, Polly, and Sarah. Won’t that be fun?”

  He grunted. “It could be, but that’s a lot of people to cook for . . .”

  She gave his leg a pat. “Not to worry about that. I intend to ask everyone to bring a dish. Then we would have plenty.”

  “Then I say, let’s do it.”

  “All right, I’ll plan and invite everyone. We’ll make this a casual, fun time.”

  He pulled the carriage to a standstill in front of the massive, red-brick building of the Denver Dry Goods. Helping her down, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, promising to return within a half hour.

  Waldo Krunk’s assistant unlocked the bank door when Edward arrived, then walked him to Waldo’s office where he was pacing the floor, waiting.

  “Come in, Edward. Have you met Leonard? He’s the assistant manager for the bank.”

  Leonard reached forward and shook Edward’s hand with a firm grip. He was a tough, wiry-looking man but flashed Edward a warm smile.

  “Good to meet you. Waldo seems to think you can keep our timer in good shape.”

  “I believe that I can. I read over the material you gave me, Waldo.”

  Waldo patted him on the shoulder. “Shall we go get started then?” The vault was only a short few steps away, tucked into its own separate small space. “It’s best that we do this setup after hours in order to keep others in the dark about the combination.”

  The vault, whose door of reinforced steel and concrete stood wide open, held cash of an undetermined amount as far as Edward could tell. He gave a low whistle. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much money in one place at one time.”

  Waldo humphed. “Well, Edward, that’s just the way we’d like to keep it, right, Leonard?”

  “Right, boss.”

  Edward stepped closer to the vault, examining the mechanism of the combination lock and timer and flipping the dial to see how smoothly it worked. The walls were about a foot thick, he surmised, and the door itself about three and a half feet thick. He was very impressed. The three men decided on the combination, but once that was determined, Edward set the timer. The vault door could only be opened after a set number of hours had passed, when the bank opened the next morning, making it pretty hard for anyone outside of them to open it up after hours.

  When they were finished, Waldo shook Edward’s hand. “Appreciate your help keeping this mechanism running correctly, Edward. It’d be best if you could drop by once a week to check it out for us.”

  “I’ll do that, Waldo. I appreciate your confidence in me.”

  Waldo turned to Leonard. “You can go on home for the day now, Leonard. Thanks for staying late.”

  Leonard nodded. “My pleasure. See you next week, Edward.” He left the two of them alone and headed out.

  “How’s that new bride of yours adjusting to life in Denver, Edward?” Waldo asked.

  “Funny you mention that, Waldo. It seems she is on a crusade to save orphaned or abused animals.”

  Waldo leaned back, giving out a big belly laugh. “Ha! I did tell her that I’d be her first benefactor! She’s got spunk, I’ll give her that.” He reached in his suit pocket and pulled out his checkbook, scribbled out a check, and tore it out. “Here, Edward. Give this to her. I don’t want her badgering me about that ol’ dog that hung around.”

  Edward happily took the check and looked at the amount. “My goodness, Waldo. Thank you. She’ll be mighty pleased. Why, she’s already had some cages made in the barn to get started, but she’ll put this to good use, I’m sure.” He folded the check and stuck it in his pocket. “Speaking of Moose, she intends to train him to be a companion of sorts for one of our friends having vision problems.”

  “You don’t say? She’s a very bright woman then. I like that. Someone I wouldn’t mind having on my staff, if she decides she’d like to be a clerk and earn some money.”

  Edward chuckled. “I hardly think that would interest Anna, but thanks for the offer.”

  Waldo and Edward walked out together, and Waldo locked the bank door as Edward climbed back into his carriage to go have lunch with Anna. He hoped she was enjoying her outing. He’d been extremely pleased that she’d offered to help him in the jewelry shop. Now, he could hardly wait to feast his eyes on her lovely face again.

  The time flew past while Anna shopped, delighted by everything she saw in the magnificent store. The store was busy with people out for their weekend shopping. The displays were nice and several things caught her eye. Never one to fuss much with her clothes, Anna preferred clean, simple lines. She finally chose two dresses, one with a matching woolen cape perfect for the colder weather. The other thing she took note of was a set of beautiful Blue Willow dishes. Besides the fact she loved the beautiful blue and white pattern, it held a soft spot in her heart. Maybe in the future she could own a set, but she knew for now that was out of the question.

  She had the clerk wrap the dresses for her, charging them to Edward’s account. Surely Edward would be outside waiting on her, she thought. She wished she had a watch, and finally she spotted a clock above the elevator. Two o’clock. Edward should arrive any moment, so she decided to wait near the front of the store and observe the shoppers. As she moved closer to the door, she nearly walked straight into Patty Holbrook, Polly and Sarah behind her.

  “Excuse me
! Oh, it’s you, Patty.” Anna reached up to steady Patty’s hat, greeting the ladies. “Out for some shopping today?”

  “Hello, Anna. So nice to see you again,” Patty answered for the group. “Yes, we thought a bit of fall shopping was in order. And yourself?”

  Anna blushed. “Yes, Edward decided that I needed a couple of new frocks. But I’m glad I ran into you. I’m having a little get-together a week from next Friday at six o’clock and wanted to invite all of you.”

  “Oh, we’d love to come! Wouldn’t we, Aunties?” Sarah turned to her aunts for approval.

  Polly smiled. “We wouldn’t miss it. What do we need to bring?”

  “I was going to ask everyone to bring a covered dish—is that what they call it? That way I can invite all of our friends.”

  “Yes, we can do that. Polly is a wonderful cook and Sarah is becoming quite the chef herself.” Patty beamed.

  “It’s a good thing then, because I’m still learning to cook, I’m afraid.” Anna giggled slightly.

  “But you will learn eventually. Besides, this will be less work for one person.” Polly patted Anna’s arm affectionately.

  “Thank you all for your vote of confidence. I see Edward is coming and we’re having lunch, so excuse me.”

  “Ahh . . . a little romance in the afternoon, perhaps,” Patty teased and Polly elbowed her.

  “Patty, don’t embarrass the young bride,” she reprimanded her sister.

  Sarah smiled. “We’ll be looking forward to your dinner party, Anna. Thank you for asking us.”

  The older ladies would’ve stood gabbing, but Sarah guided them by the elbow farther into the dry goods store, giving Anna a conspiratorial wink. Anna liked her a lot. But knowing that the aunts had all but handpicked Daniel for their niece, she was worried. Especially now that she knew Callie was interested in him. Hmm, she’d have to put her thinking cap on.

  “My, but you look deep in thought,” Edward said, walking up to her. “What’s in that pretty little head of yours?”

  She squeezed Edward’s hand as he took her package. “I’ll tell you at lunch. I just ran into Sarah and her aunts, so I invited them to our dinner.”

  “Is that a fact now?” Taking her arm, he steered her in the direction of the elevator. “I’m not sorry I missed them this time. I want our lunch to be just me and you.”

  He punched the elevator button. The door opened and the young male operator dressed in a dark suit and a jaunty hat asked them what floor they needed.

  “Tearoom, please,” Edward answered.

  “Yes, sir. That will be on the fifth floor.” He closed the door. “Coming right up.”

  Anna had never seen a pair of shoes as shiny as the elevator operator’s. She’d only had one other elevator ride in her young life. This one was the second, the first being the bank building in Amsterdam.

  “Did you enjoy the store and shopping?” Edward took her hand once they were inside. “The Denver is considered the largest dry goods store west of Chicago.”

  “I had a good time. It’s so large I hardly knew where to look. I hoped I picked two dresses that are to your liking.”

  Edward looked down at her, his eyes narrowing, and whispered, “Something silky as well, I hope. I’ve heard they have exquisite lingerie.”

  She shoved him playfully on the shoulder. “Not this time, but perhaps later I’ll spend more time looking around.”

  When the elevator stopped, the operator opened the door and wished them a nice lunch.

  25

  Anna threw the newspaper down the sidewalk, then walked Moose with the leash to where it landed. She let him sniff it first, then picked it up and threw it over and over again, repeating the word “fetch.” By the time Moose figured out that she wanted him to go pick it up, Edward’s morning paper was beginning to look ragged. Anna rolled it back up and threw it again, waiting to see what Moose would do. This time, after a thoughtful sideways cock of his large head, Moose put the newspaper between his powerful jaws, trotted over to Anna, and dropped it at her feet.

  “Good boy!” She clapped her hands together, then reached into her apron pocket for a snack of jerky that she’d picked up at the grocery. Moose lost no time in gobbling it right down and looked for more. “I’m so proud of you! You’re not lazy after all. However, before you can earn another treat, you must learn when to cross the street.” He barked and Anna laughed, giving his head an affectionate pat.

  It had taken a couple of days to get him to understand retrieving. She knew Moose liked lounging on the front porch in the sun and only moved when he saw Anna approach. Anna just shook her head at him and sighed. She’d had to put Baby in one of the pens in the barn earlier when she’d started trying to teach Moose, because she’d thought they were playing.

  She spent the next hour teaching him when it was safe to cross the street. She did this by demonstration, keeping him by her side and using the word “stay,” and he began to catch on quickly.

  Anna had read everything that Pearl had given her and was glad when Edward agreed to let her write up a notice for her special meeting for a society for prevention of cruelty to animals. He’d had it printed for her and helped her hand out the flyers to people on the street who might be interested. She went one step further and ran the ad in the newspaper as well. She was beginning to get excited about it and thanked Edward over and over for agreeing to let her try this new venture. She couldn’t help but wonder if he really was only giving in and hoping that nothing would come of it. But ever since he’d told her about the loss of his dog, it had softened his heart and broken down the barriers he’d put in place. It only made her love him more.

  Sarah waved to her from across the street and walked over. “I’ve been sitting on the porch watching you and Moose, and I must say, Anna, I’m impressed. Who says that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!”

  “Thank you. It really wasn’t hard, considering I’ve never done this before. I believe Moose has a touch of arthritis, but then so does Harvey.”

  Sarah laughed. “Then they should be good company for one another. Does he know about Moose?”

  Anna shook her head. “Not yet, but I’ll ask him soon enough. Pearl thinks this will be good for Harvey.”

  “I think those two have some affection for each other, don’t you?”

  “Ja, it seems that way. They would make perfect companions.”

  Sarah lowered her eyes and looked at Moose, giving him a scratch behind the ears. “I want the kind of love someday that you and Edward have.”

  “Really?” Anna almost laughed but knew Sarah was serious. “Everything is not perfect, even though that’s the way Edward wants everything in his life. That’s just not real. We’re still getting to know each other, but I hope it will be a true love . . . a lasting love.”

  “You seem wise beyond your years. I do see your love for Edward in your eyes and his for you.”

  They both strolled down the sidewalk, Moose by Anna’s side. “When the timing is right, the right person will come along and sweep you off your feet. Just like that!” Anna snapped her fingers.

  Sarah grinned. “But that wasn’t the way it was for you and Edward.”

  Anna giggled. “Hardly. I was a mail-order bride. I was living with my sister and her family on a farm near Cheyenne but felt I needed to have my own life—to make my own future. Edward and I cared for each other through our short correspondence. We actually got off to a bad start and mixed like oil and water, but we’re connecting on a deeper level now, and our love continues to grow.”

  “You know, my aunts seem to have singled out Daniel Moore as a love interest for me,” Sarah confided.

  Anna pretended that she didn’t know. “I see . . . Well, sometimes people have good intentions, and their hearts are in the right place, but how do you feel about Daniel?”

  Sarah’s face turned pink. “Oh, I like him well enough. He’s very handsome and we’ve talked at church socials, but I’m not sure how he feels about
me.”

  “You’ll get the opportunity very soon to figure that out at my dinner party next Friday night.”

  “I’m very nervous about it,” she said, lowering her voice.

  “Don’t be afraid. Just come with the intent to enjoy yourself among friends.”

  Sarah nodded. “I’d better get back now, or my aunt Patty will come looking for me. It was so nice talking to you. Good luck with the dog and Harvey.” She crossed the street back to her aunts’ house, and Anna urged Moose back toward home. She decided that at her dinner party, she would try to let things unfold in the way they should and not involve herself with matchmaking, especially now that she knew Callie cared for Daniel.

  She had plenty to do before her guests came for dinner next week, but she’d put off some of her regular chores, much to Edward’s chagrin, to hand out the flyers. Edward had taken time off after supper the night before to let their friends know about the dinner and what to bring. It would be nice if Edward would install a telephone, especially for times like that. She’d have to work on him and convince him that the newfangled contraption, as he called it, was moving ahead with the times. She still intended to paint a picture while at City Park before the weather turned too cold—but then painting a snow scene would be quite nice too. Perhaps Sunday afternoon? She certainly hoped so.

  Later in the afternoon, while supper was simmering on the stove, she was about to mop the kitchen floor when she heard the doorbell. Edward was still in the shop. Lately he’d been working a half hour later than usual. She dried her hands and placed the mop back in the bucket, then hurried to answer the door. It was Sarah.

  “Sarah, hello—” She stopped when she saw Sarah holding a dog with thick golden hair in need of a good grooming.

  “Anna, please, you have to take care of this puppy. He looks rather sickly to me.”

  “Please, come in.” She guided Sarah to the kitchen. “I was just about to mop the kitchen floor,” she said, removing two of the upturned chairs that were on the table. “Certainly not my most favorite chore. How did you happen to have the dog?”